


RACK vs SSC in the Eat Me verse

by LadyDrace



Series: Eat Me Verse [9]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Meta, Risk Aware Consensual Kink, Safe Sane and Consensual, how do I tag this?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-08
Updated: 2013-10-08
Packaged: 2017-12-28 20:26:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 720
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/996205
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyDrace/pseuds/LadyDrace
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is a small factual piece on the two main BDSM philosophies RACK and SSC for those wanting to know more after reading the vague mention of it in chapter 7 of Traffic Lights. Be aware that I have no practical experience with any of this, so this is just what I've come up with from what the internet could tell me. Don't trust my judgement, go read and research more on your own. Enjoy!</p>
            </blockquote>





	RACK vs SSC in the Eat Me verse

**Author's Note:**

> I know, this is basically like throwing lettuce at the starving lions to keep them from eating you. I know you all wanted chapter 8 instead, but all I can really say is that I'm working on it!

**SSC vs RACK in BDSM communities and in the Eat Me verse.**

SSC stands for Safe, Sane and Consensual. Many people view this as the cornerstone of BDSM, and especially for newbies it's a great place to start, because it covers all the bases of law and morality fairly well. “Safe” can mean anything from sanitized toys to stopping the flogging before the blood flows. It's a broad statement, which is why boundaries need to be laid down and communication in general is so important. “Sane” is trickier, but the general idea is to avoid doing things that might potentially harm you psychologically or emotionally, and to only play while of sound mind. “Consensual” is the only absolute in all of this.

 

In the simplest possible light, SSC is about avoiding harm.

 

RACK stands for Risk Aware Consensual Kink. Off the bat it can sound a little scary, but it's just another angle on the same subject. It shares the hard line of consent with SSC, but views the Safe and Sane parts as needlessly vague. Because one man's sane is another man's crazy, and it'll always be a matter of interpretation. As for keeping safe, not only is it a purely individual thing what safe actually is, but RACK also includes the idea that we should be allowed to choose risking our own safety, as long as we're fully aware that we're doing it and what the consequences might be.

 

Again, simplified, RACK is about trusting that _you_ know what's best for _you_.

 

In terms of Traffic Lights, Gabriel is a strong believer in SSC, while Kali is passionate about RACK. You might jump to the conclusion that this is because Kali is a sadist and just wants to hurt her poor slaves, but you'd be wrong. If one of Kali's subs gave her the tiniest reason to think they weren't going into it with eyes wide open, she'd call things off immediately, but once everyone is on board, she finds SSC philosophies limiting. Gabriel likes the more generalized security of SSC, both because he's a gentler Dom but also because experience has taught him to err on the side of caution. And this also appeals to Sam, because he's fragile in a lot of ways, and gambling with his sanity or safety is just not a great idea for him, at least not yet. Had Kali been the one to take Sam home, he would have been scared out of his wits.

 

When Gabriel refuses to initiate play while Sam is upset, it's because of the “Sane” part of SSC. Gabriel views playing while not completely level-headed as a surefire way to end up in therapy. Kali might be willing to use the emotional aspects in her scenes, but only with a sub she knows well and someone she can trust to not throw their mind in the trash for a few moments of fun. And as for the “Safe” aspect, Gabriel's personal experiences have him taking this to extremes, laying all the responsibility of both his and Sam's safety onto himself, but since a large part of the fun for him is caretaking it all works out fairly well.

 

One other point worth noting is that Kali would never let Sam avoid researching. She might even give him homework to make sure he knows exactly what he's getting into. She does not approve of Gabriel's need-to-know approach, no matter how much Sam prefers it. Kali refuses to be the one choosing the best path for her subs, and she generally thinks Gabriel is a bit of an ass for showing rather than telling. In some ways Gabriel is much more of a control freak than Kali could ever be, because he physically cannot let go of the leash he's putting on both himself and Sam, keeping them both toeing a very hard line of Safe and Sane.

 

 

Bear in mind that this is my personal and very inexperienced impression of these two philosophies, and you should definitely read up on it and form your own opinion if you're interested.

 

For more information, I can recommend these links to start out with:

 

<http://femdommag.com/?p=317>

<http://www.keepingitkinky.net/basics/SSCvsRACK.php>

<http://voices.yahoo.com/bdsm-101-ssc-safe-sane-consensual-vs-rack-risk-1803305.html?cat=72>

<http://www.withinreality.com/rackssc.html>


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